Pat Martinez looked up into Jim’s cold eyes. “You arrested me once,” Jim said as he fingered the rope in his hands. “But this time, I’ve come after you. I’ll drag you behind my horse until I tear you to pieces!”
Alone against Jim and his men, Pat’s mind raced. Instinctively, he dismissed saints and priest and church, and prayed silently to the Being who created the universe. “Lord, please help me! Remember that I have a big family. There’s only one man to take care of that family, and that’s Pat!”
Three Angels Over Rancho Grande is the dramatic story of Patrocinio Martinez, a part-Apache pioneer settler in the old Southwest. As sheriff in Socorro County, New Mexico, he apprehended many criminals but never killed a man. A faithful member of the Catholic Church, he and his large family would never be the same after Brother Vargas came to town with his message of the Bible’s three angels.
In this story of the old West and the settling of the New Mexico territory , God guides the life of Pat Martinez and his children, including Max Martinez, who went on to be a missionary, church leader, and patriarch of the church in the Texico Conference. Three Angels Over Rancho Grande traces the origins of a family whose contributions to the work of God are now so far-reaching that they can never fully be known until eternity begins.
Three Angels Over Rancho Grande by Viola M. Payne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I enjoyed reading about the life and impact of the Patrocinio Martinez family as they settled in the Southwestern United States. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a casual read, enjoys pioneership, and stories about the old West.
I love reading about New Mexican culture and heritage. Viola Payne brings to light many of the victories and hardships within a historical timeline of activities that surrounded Native persons and recorded interactions with settlers. The second half of the book was more focused on Seventh Day Adventist indoctrination. I wasn’t as excited to read about it in such depth when compared to the lively, attention-capturing events that were told in previous chapters.
She puts amazing perspective to character development and cultural adaptation in a relaxed, informal, yet well-though-out writing style. Patrocinio Martinez was a sheriff in the most classical sense and his adventures reflect just that. This book includes everything from brawls, horsemanship, childrearing, farming, hospitality, legacy, friendship, family, and self-reflection- which all strongly support the title and importance of faith in this book.
